A month after announcing the departure of its chief financial officer, Orlando-based SeaWorld has appointed a former Las Vegas casino executive to fill the role.
Michelle “Chelle” Adams is succeeding Elizabeth Castro Gulacsy as the company’s CFO and treasurer, the company said Friday.
Adams previously served as the CFO for The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, a luxury hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The property was recently sold for a total of $4 billion, with MGM Resorts acquiring its operations for $1.6 billion last month, according to real estate website CoStar.
“We are thrilled to have Chelle join our leadership team,” SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. CEO Marc Swanson said in a statement. “Chelle brings strong finance experience and a long and successful track record as a leader in the leisure and hospitality industries.”
Last month, SeaWorld said Castro Gulacsy was departing after a year as CFO and over nine years total with the company. She was SeaWorld’s interim treasurer and CFO in two previous stints, from April 2020 to May 2021 and from September to November 2019.
At the time, Castro Gulacsy praised the company’s “bright future” following a period of record earnings and attendance and said she would continue to serve until Dec. 31 or as soon as the company hired her successor. She will continue working with SeaWorld for a few months following Adams’ appointment before continuing as a consultant “for an extended period” to help Adams transition into the role.
In a statement, Adams said she was excited to join SeaWorld “as a fan and guest” of the parks.
“SeaWorld is an incredible company with an irreplaceable set of assets, an exceptionally high quality and resilient business model, and an extremely talented group of ambassadors,” she said. “Together, we will work to continue to improve on our execution of the strategic plan to realize the full potential of this amazing company and significantly increase value for all stakeholders.”
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